Making the First Move
by GirlCrushonAli
Summary: Because we all know that taking that first step is always the hardest. . .And that Neji is a hard-ass, so Tenten's going to have to do it. It was crisp day in autumn when Tenten decided to end it all. R&R, please!


**Making the First Move**

_Because we all know that taking that first step is always the hardest._

_. . ._

_And that Neji is a hard-ass, so Tenten's going to have to do it._

It was crisp day in autumn when Tenten decided to end it all.

The birds were singing, or those that were left anyway; and the bees were buzzing, or at least those that hadn't died in the first frost; and the squirrels were gathering, or at least those that hadn't been saved by an overly enthusiastic Lee; and Tenten and Neji Hyuga were sparring, or at least that was what everyone thought.

Tenten thought differently.

Neji thought differently.

Training for them was more than just trying to beat the other into oblivion. It wasn't just a mere act for physical exertion; it wasn't just a method for honing their skills; it wasn't just a bonding session between teammates.

Training was electrifying, exhilarating, exciting; it was a perfect moment when complete trust was given unto another.

Training was when Neji trusted Tenten to know his blindspot, but not kill him.

Training was when Tenten trusted Neji to practice the gentle fist, but not harm her.

It was their perfect moment—when Neji and Tenten were joined in a way far more than _any_ physical sense could convey.

Tenten at least knew. She knew that Neji knew too, even if he didn't know that he knew.

Poor Neji didn't know that Tenten knew that he knew, though.

And he had no idea that Tenten knew.

One-the female-was less rational, less sensible, more emotional, and more open; she knew that Neji Hyuga and she were in love.

The other-the male-was controlled, hard, stoic, and fated; he didn't know that he and Tenten were in love, but he wasn't a complete idiot so he knew that _something_ was there.

So when Tenten makes the first move, he understands.

x

The day when Tenten finally decided to end it all, was a crisp autumn day.

Tenten arrived at exactly six, according to her internal clock at least. She'd left her home at five-forty five, leaving plenty of time for her to arrive at the designated training grounds within her allotted limit. Fifteen minutes left Tenten enough time for a light jog to stretch out her muscles before the heavy training began.

Fifteen minutes had always been enough time before, so she was rather surprised to arrive at six to find that Neji was already patiently meditating beneath a bodisatva tree.

Tenten had learned from five years on the same team as the Hyuga prodigy that disrupting meditation time made Neji very stressed. He had more trouble centering himself, thus allowing for more of her weapons to penetrate his defenses. She'd learned this after a particularly vicious spar in which Neji had come out with several wounds worthy of a medic-nin.

Tenten chose to sit down just a few feet to the side of the prodigy. He hadn't acknowledged her presence, but she was positive that he knew her exact location. Even without his Hyuga eyes, Neji had a gift for sensing the location of his opponents. He always seemed to know from which direction her attacks would come.

She briefly wondered if only her chakra signature was just too blatantly obvious to him, but chose to dismiss the thought as soon as it had come. Neji and she had their warped little relationship, but she didn't think that he was obsessive about her. Surely he wasn't so attuned to Tenten as to allow him to _always_ sense her specifically.

Tenten didn't know that Neji definitely had felt her presence, and that he _was_ extremely attuned to her. He knew as soon as she'd been within forty meters of the training grounds that the one approaching was Tenten. He could feel her presence as if she were a stretched appendage. When she was especially close, such as at that moment, he could tell exactly what she was doing. He could even sense her movements.

He had no intention of telling her just how strongly her could feel her. He wasn't sure what it meant, and he had no desire to share information that he did not yet understand himself.

The forest surrounding their training ground didn't hold much interest for Tenten. She wasn't Lee and had no love for squirrels or other furry things. Tenten saw trees as something admirable, but more useful for camouflage or escape than for their majestic beauty.

Instead of admiring the trees, Tenten admired Neji. His posture was perfect, something that she had never managed. She could probably carry a book on her head, all shinobi had great poise and grace, but Tenten didn't think that she could manage sitting like that for hours on end. She knew that Neji meditated at least an hour every day, and once again she was reminded how strange the man that she had fallen for was.

Neji had been waiting in his and Tenten's sparring area for only ten minutes before she arrived. When she sat down next to him, he couldn't help but notice how his heart rate slowed and that the overwhelming sense of well-being that previously only hours of serious meditation could bring, was immediate.

Surely if he were in love with Tenten, then his heart rate would increase. He would never be able to meditate if he loved her. He had seen the way that so many reacted to their objects of affection: Hinata blushed, Ino screamed, and Sakura mumbled. Those examples were all females, but even males' actions showed nothing resembling relaxation.

Neji's heart raced when they sparred, as that was when he truly felt in awe of his teammate. Sitting next to her caused him no discomfort, but rather provided an augmentation to his usual meditation routine. He figured that his teammate was his catalyst then, not his center, certainly not his heart.

Tenten watched as Neji slipped deeper into his meditative state, observing as the tightening next to his eyes and jaw lessened. He was a beautiful sight, and Tenten couldn't help but appreciate the object of her desire. He was flawed, most certainly considering his arrogant attitude and fate preoccupation, but he was always something incredible.

She had rarely observed Neji's face while he meditated, so she grasped the opportunity before her. Neji was normally a serious creature, always holding an expression not suitable for one of only seventeen, but his expression was serene and calm while in this state; his brow wasn't furrowed in concentration or anger, and nor did his lips sport his typical arrogant smirk.

Tenten knew that she loved him, but no matter how beautiful the man before her was, he couldn't compare to the Neji that she played with every day. She loved them both, but this serene Neji was nothing compared to the shinobi Neji.

When Neji finally returned to Konoha and opened his eyes, he wasn't shocked to find that his teammate was staring at him, but rather slightly unnerved. He had sensed her and he knew that she was within an arm's reach, but he hadn't sensed anything further. She hadn't reacted to his presence like other women. She hadn't tried to touch him, invade his personal space, or even speak with him. Tenten had merely sat quietly and waited for him to finish. She hadn't reacted to his presence at all. Her heart rate and breathing were normal, and there was definitely not a hint of blush on her cheeks.

Tenten did not have feelings for him, so he simply could not have feelings for her.

He gave a quiet request to begin their training, as he elegantly stood and walked to the center of their clearing. Tenten followed, not bothering to respond.

Neji silently stretched his tight legs as Tenten moved into the trees. She usually chose to attack from the surrounding forest, but Neji always told her that there was little use. He could see her as clearly as if she were in dead space due to his bloodline limit. Once active, he could trace her with minimal effort.

Tenten took to the forest anyway, in order to contemplate her rare advantage over her training partner. She was already stretched and ready to begin, while Neji was still tight from his mediation session. She had no doubt that he would be slower than usual with this minor handicap. He would know of this fault, and probably expect her to capitalize on it. The decision for how to subtly take advantage of Neji's weakness needed to be made quickly. Neji's loss of speed would quickly fade once he began moving.

Neji slipped into his first position, activating his bloodline limit and signaling that the battle had begun. Tenten was out of time. She needed to move first, before Neji was in top form.

Tenten jumped into the air, throwing five extra large shuriken connected by chakra enhanced wires to surround Neji. She'd used this move against him on several occasions. She was attempting to keep him in a central area, disrupting his movements and leaving him vulnerable due to this lack of flexibility.

Neji saw the attack and knew what she was planning as soon as she leaped from the forest, but he knew from experience that performing the Kaiten when these wires surrounded him was a terrible idea. Last time the wires had held, stretching with the cocoon that the Kaiten provided, and when he'd stopped his spinning, a shuriken managed to pierce his shoulder once the chakra sphere had shrunk to nothing.

Instead of dodging the ring, he chose to let it fall. He knew that it would restrict his movements temporarily, but he still had enough room for maneuverability. He'd destroy the chakra enhanced wires with some careful strikes as soon as Tenten had let up in her volleys.

As soon as the thoughts crossed his mind, Tenten was flinging projectiles while she ran through the trees to try to reach his blind spot. She knew exactly what she was doing, as did he.

They each knew his imperfection, and Tenten always tried to capitalize on it. Neji didn't fault her for this action though; he wanted to improve himself. He needed to learn to guard against his greatest fault.

Kunai, senbon, and shuriken rained down around him, but he still in the center of it all, completely unharmed. Any civilian watching would have missed the movement entirely, and even standard shinobi would have difficulty following the movements of the Hyuga prodigy.

Neji had slipped into his stance for the Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms and completed the jutsu by the time that Tenten move into the forest to his right. He immediately shifted to follow her. She was fast, but she was moving through an extremely large area, while he just needed to pivot in place.

And he was still faster than her. Even after years of training, she had never managed to overcome his speed. She needed to find an alternative method if she wanted to win. If the match were to descend into a game of speed, then Neji was the guaranteed victor.

She needed to end this quickly; she could see that Neji was already preparing to strike at the wires surrounding him. They would be demolished within seconds.

He watched the wires while continuing to stare at Tenten, a skill that could only be accomplished thanks to his incredible eyes. He couldn't step over them, as that'd require him to lose contact with Tenten for precious moments to observe the wires. She'd have him if he stopped to stare. He couldn't just jump into the air, as he couldn't pivot or spin if he needed to use his techniques. Tenten would destroy him in the air; anything not connected to the ground belonged to her.

He needed to find the chakra weaknesses and destroy the wires, but that wasn't his real priority.

Tenten was a long range fighter. He was a short range fighter. He needed to draw her close. None of his techniques were designed for long distance fighting. Hyuga preferred close contact, and scorned any techniques that were so dishonorable as to not allow a fighter to face his opponent.

Thankfully for Neji, he had always fought with Tenten, a weapon's mistress. He was perfectly capable of throwing a kunai, but such action was not his preferred. Tenten knew this, and she usually courteously chose to throw everything at him, allowing him to practice his defensive techniques; then, when he was tiring, she would get close to him, giving him an opportunity to use his offensive skills.

The pattern was not set in stone, yet was still almost always expected.

This time Tenten chose to get close to him before he tired. She decided that he was probably still tight from his meditation. The spar would be decided quickly, but they'd have another opportunity to try again after they rested.

Tenten threw several dozen kunai, forcing Neji to focus on her, and not on the wires around him. She didn't leave the trees until the last had been thrown. With the final toss, she jumped up from the trees again, grabbing her summoning scrolls from her back. She released both of them, immediately hopping from the ground back into the air, closer to Neji.

She threw harder when she was closer, and she planned to win this spar.

Her weapons rained around him, but all fell away harmlessly. Anyone else trapped in a five foot ring would have been destroyed, but not a gifted Hyuga. Neji was able to see all of the weapons fly around him, and he could even watch his teammate as she danced in the air. He could see her and the physical evidence of her desire to win.

Tenten landed to the ground amongst the weapons flying around Neji. Only her perfect aim, and her incredible sense for each of her weapons enabled her to walk through the fray without a single scratch. No one else would have been capable.

She couldn't get close enough to her partner to allow his active divination to close her chakra, so she stayed just outside as he was forced to move his arms faster than even she could follow to block her raining weapons.

She stepped behind him, right into his blind spot, although at this close range, she was certain that he could see her. She held a kunai in her right hand, waiting until the perfect moment, when Neji had slowed, to move the kunai against the side of his neck. She was certain that she had him.

Unfortunately for Tenten, and very fortunately for Neji, he was still faster than her. He had turned around before she had the kunai in place. Would it have been where she wanted, Neji would have sliced open his own neck with the turn; his throat would have been decimated.

The two shinobi stopped, as the short fight came to a close. Tenten held a kunai to Neji's throat, ready to piece the skin just above his carotid artery with the slightest movement. From this position, Neji could never spin to begin his deflection without slicing open his own throat.

Neji held a palm to her chest, stopping just above the bindings that held down her breasts. A single push from within Neji's body could forever disrupt the woman's chakra system. From this position, if Tenten made a move, her body would make contact with him. Her chest was heaving, like his own, and with just the slightest extra large inhale, he'd be touching her.

The match was a draw, a far more frequent occurrence in their later teenage years than it had ever been when they were children.

They both knew that the match was over, but they maintained their positions anyway, each patiently wanted for the other call the match. This was a typical end for their stalemates, a simple acknowledgment before returning.

x

But on a crisp autumn day, Tenten decides to end their standoffs.

As their spar comes to an end, as the two finish their own strange courtship dance, Tenten makes a decision.

She says nothing as his palm lies flat against her chest. The man that she loves widens his eyes, but gives no other visible signs of his interest.

She takes a step forward; she allows Neji's reach to finally touch her heart. She's isn't sure why she chooses to take that step, but at that moment she feels this strange desire.

She's excited, ecstatic, electrified. These are the moments that have become so integral in her life. These strange moments with Neji, the strange tension between them; this is what has kept her coming to him every day.

Tenten lowers her weapon, tossing the kunai to the ground and laying her hands over his own. She applies only the slightest pressure at first, pulling his hand slowly but firmly into her chest until she is certain that he can feel her breastbone.

She knows that she loves him, and that he loves her, but she isn't certain of his reaction. She's afraid, but the heat of the fight has brought her to this point. She feels brave, brave enough to risk her heart.

Still, she says nothing to him and chooses to wait.

At this moment, which would be an incredibly inappropriate moment for anyone else, Tenten chooses to reveal herself. Neji will know how she feels, even if he hasn't yet admitted her place in his heart.

Tenten makes the first move, and now she awaits the consequences.

x

Sixteen years later, when their thirteen year old son wants to know about winning a kunoichi's heart, he asks his father what he did to claim the boy's mother. Neji tells a warped tale about always sensing his beloved wife, arriving early to see her, and finally kissing her for the first time.

His son doesn't believe his story and goes to visit his less emotionally stunted mom.

Tenten tells about a stoic man who didn't know that he'd fallen in love with a simple girl. She tells her son that some people have difficulties expressing their emotions. She warns him that taking that first step is always the most frightening part of a relationship. She tells him that it's all right to be afraid, but to still make that first move.

**And thanks for the reviewer who said that I always write so much dialogue! You're right, so I decided to try just words. Thanks for the inspiration **Sandataba **!**


End file.
